As we race toward 2019, SPE hopes its members and industry professionals are enjoying a safe and wonderful holiday season! We'd also like to reflect on the past year by providing readers with a look at some of the highlights from Plastics Insight in 2018, as clicked by you, the readers.

Plastics EngineeringFrom Aug. 22: In the small community of Fitchburg, Mass., the Rocheleau Tool & Die Corp. resides in the same place it has for the past 75 years. The company opened in the industrial New England town during the Great Depression but ahead of the WWII industrial boom. Today, however, the company personifies a renaissance rooted in today's dynamic and complex industrial environment.READ MORE

SPE CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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Jan. 10

WEBINAR: How Cooling Line and Mold Design Influence Plastic Part Cost and Performance

Plastics TodayFrom Feb. 14: If the NAFTA renegotiation fails, it will be “most destructive to the United States, and the plastics industry, in particular,” according to Dwight Morgan, VP of Corporate Development for M. Holland Co.READ MORE

Recycling InternationalFrom Feb. 21: Cornell University in the USA has developed a new additive that 'melds incompatible types of plastic together.' Hailed as a remarkable innovation that is expected to boost plastics recycling efficiency, it has won the 2017 Newcomb Cleveland Prize and $25,000 awarded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This celebrates the design of a 'multiblock polymer' that combines polyethylene and polypropylene materials into a single plastic composite.READ MORE

The GuardianFrom April 18: Scientists have created a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic drinks bottles – by accident. The breakthrough could help solve the global plastic pollution crisis by enabling for the first time the full recycling of bottles.READ MORE

Machine DesignFrom Feb. 7: While trying to invent a new type of glue, Japanese student, Yu Yanagisawa discovered a new species of polymer glass that can heal itself when smashed. His accidental discovery could lead to reduced e-waste in the future.READ MORE

ScienceNewsFrom May 2: There’s a great future in plastics. A new kind of plastic can, when exposed to the right chemicals, break down into the same basic building blocks that it came from and be rebuilt again and again. The recyclable material is more durable than previous attempts to create reusable plastics, researchers report.READ MORE

EurekaFrom April 4: Plastics are excellent insulators — a quality that can be an advantage in something like a coffee cup sleeve. But it is less desirable in products such as plastic casings for laptops and mobile phones, which can overheat, as they can trap the heat that the devices produce. Now a team of engineers at MIT has developed a polymer thermal conductor — a plastic material that works as a heat conductor, dissipating heat rather than insulating it.READ MORE

Whether you’re looking for reinforcement or insulation, transparency or IR absorption, opacity or durability, flame retardancy or anti-blocking, our unique range of mineral fillers and additives can help you realize both cost and performance benefits.

What is the difference between corona and plasma? The context of this question is important as some industries have adopted unique definitions of each term. In this article, Enercon explains the similarities and differences of corona & plasma and types of in-line plasma technologies offered. Learn more.

Plastics EngineeringFrom July 25: It could be the most unusual new development in injection molding in the past 20 years, developed by household products giant Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, OH. According to P&G patents, the technology consists of retrofitable controls and software for aluminum injection molds with pressure sensors and special cooling, which P&G claims increase productivity more than 50 percent on existing injection molding machines.READ MORE

JJFTICWith analytical and mechanical analysis, large and small scale pilot lines, and in-house thermoforming capabilities, we are able to handle a broad range or requests. Located in Richmond, IN, The John J Farber Technology and Innovation Center is an A2LA accredited facility for mechanical testing under A2LA Certificate Number 4071.01. Please contact us via info@JJFTIC.com or by calling 765-973-0150, if we can assist you with your next development project.READ MORE

Plastics EngineeringFrom Sept. 26: While lighting is rarely the reason people buy cars, it plays an important safety role in all personal and commercial vehicles - both in terms of making a vehicle more visible to humans and animals as well as improving a driver's ability to see potential problems in the vehicle's path. Not surprisingly, plastics play an important role in these applications and, in fact, are being used for visual branding on many passenger vehicles.READ MORE

News-Medical.netFrom March 21: One major problem in treating cancer is identifying the location of small tumors and treating them before they metastasize. In an effort to overcome that problem, researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have developed a fluorescing nanoparticle capable of finding tumors, lighting up upon arrival and being activated with light to generate heat to destroy the cancer cells.READ MORE